Miles – starfinder 77
WIS rank – 13
Preseason GUESS rank – 22
Miles has been the class of the SIAC for 5 seasons and has carried the conference’s banner into the playoffs. Sweeping the table and finishing 12-0 against a group of rapidly improving teams says much, but Miles has also won their in-conference games in dominating fashion. Tuskegee managed to lose by (only) 14 points but nobody else was close. A balanced offensive attack and a dominating defense (leading the SIAC with 52 sacks) were the hallmark of Miles’ squad this year. The league’s most efficient QB Michael Youngblood returns next year as a senior, but Miles must contend with the loss of the SIAC’s two best DLs who were 1-2 in sacks.

Tuskegee – rpa035
WIS rank - 41
Preseason GUESS rank – 131
Tuskegee was one of the surprise teams in the regular season of the SIAC. After taking a beating with a brutal OOC schedule, the Golden Tigers went on to upset Morehouse and St. Josephs to start 2-0 in conference. Sr. DB John Thomas was among the league leaders in tackles and INTs, and redshirt soph. QB Robert Burkett will only get better after a nice season. Tuskegee topped off a successful season with a wild 3 overtime win at Benedict which saw Burkett throw the winning TD pass. Solid coaching and getting the most out of his players led rpa035 to a very nice 8-5 season.

Fort Valley State – strieffman
WIS Rank - 46
Preseason GUESS rank – 98
One of the biggest differentials between what was predicted and what actually happened on the field belonged to the Wildcats of Fort Valley State. This can be attributed to both the arm of Sr. QB Bradley Delarosa and the coaching of strieffman. Delarosa was the 2nd best QB in the league and largely responsible for wins at Tuskegee and vs. Lane. FVS is a team on the rise, and once the young RBs get more experience (RS freshman Edward Colon is the best of the bunch) they should contend every year. Strieffman is also grooming what should be a monster DL in sophomore Daniel Powell.

Benedict – jtreeves72
WIS Rank – 113
Preseason GUESS rank – 126
A super-young roster bit Benedict this season. 5 seniors and 7 juniors really limited the success coach jtreeves could reasonably expect, but the Tigers still managed to be competitive. Benedict played Morehouse and Tuskegee very close and took care of business against the SIM opponents. Still, Benedict outperformed preseason expectations, and due to a huge freshman class, the Tigers will be better every season. In the coming seasons, keep an eye on WR Dennis Ellis, RB Robert Tucker, and LB Jose Paul, all studs in the making. The fact that coach jtreeves made a team with 5 seniors – all SIM-recruited – competitive speaks to his coaching abilities.

Albany St. – twanb28
WIS Rank – 139
Preseason GUESS rank – 142
Coach twanb28 is residing in the cellar that many veteran coaches have known as they take on a particular tough rebuild. As most coaches in the SIAC have noted, former coaches who have let SIMs do all of their signings have ruined Albany State. Coach twanb28 took care of business though, and beat the teams that he should have beaten. However in their recruiting efforts, despite horrible vision, the Golden Rams managed to land freshman RB Steven McManus. McManus had limited PT this season, but will be a stud RB in this league over the next few seasons.

St. Joseph’s – fla_dave
WIS Rank – 32
Preseason GUESS rank – 40
Coach fla_dave evidently doesn’t believe in rebuilding, as he quickly built a winning program at St. Joseph’s and hasn’t looked back. With a potent offense (#1 in total yards per game) and a stout defense (#2 in ypg allowed) the Pumas are for real and are challenging Miles for the conference championship. Soph QB James Smith led the league in passing yards and TDs, and has two more years to torch the SIAC. Frosh QB Leonard Higgins is waiting in the wings and he might be better! St. Joes is loaded with young talent on both sides of the ball and will be a force in the SIAC for seasons to come. Keep an eye on soph DL Samuel Beard.

Quincy – tlreese77
WIS Rank – 36
Preseason GUESS rank – 52
Another coach who beat expectations is tlreese77 at Quincy. The Hawks had upset wins vs. Lane and Morehouse, which were buoyed by a strong rushing attack (#2 in the SIAC). Junior Ronald Perez carried the bulk of the load, while junior DB Arthur Hooks had a stellar season with 69 tackles, 3 INTs and 4 forced fumbles. On the recruiting front, coach tlreese77 landed a couple of monster OLs in Rivera and Meyers who will be pushing people around for years to come.

Morehouse – jc1796
WIS Rank – 58
Preseason GUESS rank – 45
The Maroon Tigers had high expectations rolling into this season, but in the end failed to live up to their preseason predictions. After tripping in OOC vs. a horrible SIM team, Morehouse was heavily favored vs. Tuskegee and lost. Morehouse had a brief win streak and then lost to St. Joseph’s, Quincy, and SIM-coached Lane. Despite the disappointing finish, the college that Martin Luther King attended finished third in total offense and third in total defense. Sophomore RB Joe Ross finished #11 in the country in rushing, and the offensive line is shaping up. Coach jc1796 is hoping for a rebound year!

Kentucky Wesleyan – amorak
WIS Rank – 63
Preseason GUESS rank - 56
The Panther’s rebuild was made much more difficult by a former coach’s inattentiveness to recruiting. Coach amorak has had to absorb two pretty putrid classes by that former coach, but has turned in three solid recruiting classes since then. QB Thomas Bell, WR Arthur Ray, TE Michael Shaw, and DLs Dean and Brooks are all future studs. Upsets vs. Lane and Quincy showed glimmers of what we expect to see in the future from the team in Owensboro, Kentucky. Junior RB David Blanchard led the team in both rushing and receiving yards, totaling nearly 2000 all-purpose yards. Blanchard will be the guy next season.